Yamaha set to unveil touring version of FZ-09

If you can believe the hype on the Interwebz, Yamaha is going to take the wraps off a touring bike based on the FZ-09.

It seems the story broke on Motorcycle.com, but several other web mags are also reporting Yamaha dropped off a set of trademark applications for a new touring bike built on the FZ-09 platform (that’s MT-09, to you Euro readers). It has that lovely three-cylinder motor, but there’s a big windshield and a re-designed higher seat with integrated luggage mounts.

While it doesn’t seem to be a true adventure bike intended to get dirty off-road, it does have some styling cues from that scene; there’s wraparound handguards and long-travel suspension. However, those design features are increasingly being incorporated into motorcycles only intended for street use; BMW’s new S1000-based tourer will be built along similar lines to this, and Suzuki’s V-Strom 1000 already explored these concepts very successfully; MV Agusta also went down this route with the Turismo Veloce, and the Ducati Multistrada also sells well with a combination of off-road styling and on-road ability.

Will this bike come to North America? There have already been versions of the FZ that haven’t made it to North America. However, there’s a difference between a niche bike like the MT-09 Street Rally, with limited market appeal, and the demand for a competent touring machine. Honda’s VFR800 revival hasn’t appealed to everyone with the bike’s limited upgrades. If Yamaha can offer a bike with more power and functionality at a price below Honda’s, well, Big Red might be looking at a dent in its mid-weight touring market.

GALLERY

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The more things change, the more they stay the same. Just take a look at Hints and Tips for Motor Cyclists, a handy little book published in 1908 by The Motor Cycle magazine and sent to me last week by CMG reader Allan Johnson. “Always be prepared for the unexpected,” it warns, and gives examples: “Vehicles in front stopping suddenly … a tyre burst at speed … a block in the traffic, round the corner,” and my favourite, “swerves of passing or oncoming cars, especially if handled by ladies, or when roads are greasy."
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